Shakespeare troupe set to take weekend stage with free performance at Charleston’s Slack Plaza

Visitors enjoy a past performance at Slack Plaza. On Saturday, City Center Live will present "Shakespeare in the Park" from 8-10 p.m.Photo byCity Center Live

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- All the world may be a stage, as the oft-quoted Shakespearean line quips, but for one troupe with the Vintage Theatre Company, the stage at City Center at Slack Plaza will work just fine.

On Saturday, Clarksburg-based Shakespeare theatre group The Rustic Mechanicals is set to bring their “Shakespeare in the Park” production to City Center at Slack Plaza, 182 Summers St. in Charleston.

The nighttime presentation, set to take stage from 8-10 p.m. Sept. 28, is free and open to the public. It’s part of the ongoing City Center Live series of outdoor entertainment events, which runs most Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 11.

“You'll be sure to giggle at this charming theatrical group's shenanigans, and maybe even get into some yourself,” an event announcement on the City Center Live website notes.

The two-hour play, performed on the Slack Plaza stage, will be held outdoors under the nighttime sky.

“Shakespeare in the Park” is just one event in the annual summer program.

Other upcoming events for the 2024 live series include:

• Halfway to St. Patrick's Day with The Charleston Rogues, set for 2-6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29;
• Yoga in the Park on Sunday, Oct. 6 from 7-8:15 p.m.; and
• Dead Center with John Inghram and Friends, a Grateful Dead tribute concert scheduled for 6-10 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11.

More concerts, sing-a-longs and open mics are planned as part of City Center Live through Oct. 11. All events are free and open to the public.

City Center Live got its start in 2022, shortly after the opening of City Center at Slack Plaza. Since then, multiple live events have marked weekends in the capital city at the downtown gathering space.

More information on Saturday’s “Shakespeare in the Park” is available on Facebook.

Michael Ramsburg is a Kanawha County communities reporter. He can be reached at ramsburgreports@gmail.com or by calling 304-370-3067.